Put trans in drive, lurches, shudders and kills engine.

Hello everyone,

I have been searching the forums for hours trying to find some suggestions, but nothing hits it on the head.

2008 Dodge 170" Crew Sprinter. Personal use daily driver with 62,500 miles. No issues with engine and engine oil and filter changed with 100% synthetic MB approved oil every 10,000 by me with oil change reminder reset by dealer religiously. I absolutely love my Sprinter.

I declerated into a right hand turn to head up the on-ramp for the interstate. As I was checking for traffic from my left with my foot on the brake, but the vehicle still rollling, the van shuddered hard and killed the engine. I was pulling an all aluminum empty 1900 lb trailer at the time and thought the electric brakes locked up on it. I jumped out, unplugged the trailer harness and jumped back in the van to take off and get the hell out of the way. I started the engine, put my foot on the brake and dropped it into drive. It lurched forward 2 feet (with foot on the brake), shuddered hard and killed the engine. It does the same in reverse. After lots of phone calls, I dropped the trailer and we towed the van to my Dodge dealer, thinking I was covered by the drivetrain warranty. I now know I am not.

I got a call from the dealer today: He says the computer shows no codes. The sprinter tech and the transmission tech ASSume the torque converter has failed and want $2200 to repair it with no guarantee it will fix the problem. A replacement trans (with torque converter) is back ordered and they want $10,000 to do that. Apparently MB REALLY hammers Dodge for parts since they are not in bed together anymore. He seemed really nervous making this phone call! I said I'll call back after I consult the wizards on the interweb.

In a box on my workbench is the filter and pan gasket for a trans oil change, which according to the manual, I am 3000 miles late on. I was ordering the oil this week since I can't find it ANYWHERE in Indy. I have never checked the trans oil and couldn't even find where the dipstick was until my web searches today. Sounds like I don't even have a dipstick. During my searches of the forum today, I found some common threads that said as the trans oil reaches it's life expectancy, the torque converer can lose it's ability to....ya know...convert torque. Could this be my problem?

Any and all advice to help me through this conumdrum is GREATLY appreciated. Please help.

Best regards,
Michael

Dodge and MB are all the same vehicle, and can be serviced by either. I would find a better informed Sprinter Tech. How long is the drive train warrantee and why do they say it is not covered? Isn't the TC part of the drive train?

Any visible leaks from the tranny? I might suggest low oil. As a cheap test, get a dipstick, or have the Tech do it, and see if there is the proper amount. Low fluid would lead to funky operation, but my guess is that you would see symptoms before failure. 3000 extra miles shouldn't make a bit of real difference.

Icarus

The diagnosis is proper, the tourque converter has failed. But ... There could still be a chance that he transmission is not internally damaged. Remove the pan and check to see if there is a lot of metal debris in it, if not then a tourque converter may be all you need (plus an update to the transmission software to prevent this from happening again if applicable, Dodge may not have the software .. check with a MB Sprinter dealer if possible).
In some cases a new tourque converter and a valvebody is all you need . I can check your coverage if you send me your vin and milage through the personal messages on the forum (if you like)

Carl

View attachment LI27.00-N-048695_Ver_3.pdf

Unfortunately (for me), Dodge and MB aren't the same anymore...especially if you are out of warrantee (I do know that MB makes all the Sprinters) .Dodge can no longer get dealer pricing on MB parts anymore. If the repair is under warrantee, part pricing isn't an issue. But if they aren't going to warrant this repair, the MB part price is full MSRP retail which I think is what is adding to the price.

Speaking of the price...$2200 for a torque converter R & R seems high, but I don't know what the part prices are. Anyone have any info or thoughts on the matter?

I don't think I had any prior warnings or symptons. I have heard a slight/ low "rotational" noise over my right shoulder. After researching the forums I concluded that I probably have a carrier/ hanger bearing starting to go. It's a little louder when it's cold and quiets as the vehicle warms up. At first I thought it was a right rear wheel bearing until the forum helped narrow it down for me. I have also heard a metallic clunk coming from the rear when shifting into drive periodically. It's not consistent, so I chaulked it up to situational...i.e going from reverse to drive before vehicle has come to a complete stop or putting into gear on an incline.

Spinterguy: I pm'd you my VIN. Thanks in advance. Any more light you can shed on why a software upgrade could avoid this in the future?

As a point if reference concerning the torque converter replacement, we would pull the converter, have it rebuilt and re-install it for about $1350-$1400. We would also check the pan for debris and service the valve body assembly if it was needed. The valve body service would be extra. Hope this helps.

Thank you, John
Sprinter Store
http://sprinterstore.com/
A division of Upscale Automotive, Inc.
19460 SW 89th Ave.
Tualatin, OR 97062
503-692-0846

What causes a TC to fail at under 70K? What does the "drive train" warrantee cover anyway?

Icarus

I gave my Dodge dealer the damage code from MB to see if they could do the work under warranty. They were informed by Mother Dodge: No way. I paid them $58 (they wanted $116) for the time evaluating my van and I towed it up to the MB dealer tonight and included a copy of the service bulletin in the drop box envelope with my key. I dropped by MB earlier in the day to see if bringing my Dodge in was gonna fly. The young service writer looked mostly confused about why my Dodge had his companies drive train in it, so we'll see how it sorts out tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Thanks for the price breakdown on the TC r & r with flush. Sounds like the dealer was in the ballpark. But according to the MB TB, it sounds like all that may be needed is a full flush and clean of the TC and valve body and a software upgrade. We'll see...

Well, it looks like sprintguy saved my life....or at least my wallet. Mercedes repaired my Sprinter in 3 days at no charge. They replaced the torque converter, flushed the trans, loaded the software updates and gave her a test drive. I couldn't be happier.

They also heard a little whine out of my front carrier bearing during the test drive. I knew I had one going, but the trans failure took precedence. They wanted to replace both the front and the rear to a tune of $850, but I declined. The tech said that he has found that shortly after the front one fails, the rear is normally only a few months behind. I will order the front bearing through Europarts for $200 and replace it after Christmas. If the rear starts acting up, I'll handle it then.

Just thought I would update my original post in case my story helps anyone else.

Happy Holidays everyone.